Hope for Peace

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
— Isaiah 2:4

Those
who follow Jesus hope for peace. The prophet Isaiah promises a Savior
called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and Jesus is called
“our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).

Different
groups of people within the Christian church have held different
views about war, peace, and the role of government in our world. Some
Christians believe that war is never the right choice, while others
believe that sometimes there can be a just war. But not everyone
agrees on what makes a war “just.”

What
all followers of Jesus do agree on, however, is that war is tragic.
War is not the way in which God means for people to engage with each
other. Though it might be necessary at times, war is not a part of
God’s good plan for creation.

We
can give thanks for the hope we hear in Isaiah 2 about God’s
peaceful kingdom. These words paint an interesting picture of weapons
that have been turned into farming implements because they are no
longer needed for war.

This
is a picture of hope even in times of war. Weapons are still used for
violent purposes, but one day they will have no purpose other than
for growing good crops for food.

We
pray that God will grant us wisdom now as we engage in the realities
of war, and that God will grant us hope as we long for a future of
peace.

Prayer

Prince of Peace, we lament that war is still a reality in our world, and we pray that your peace will reign everywhere soon. In your name, Amen.